By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

JASRADO “Jazz” Chisholm Jr emerged as the leading vote getter for National League second baseman after the first return of 2022 MLB All-Star ballots.

In phase one of voting, The Miami Marlins star leads all second basemen with 634,762 votes, followed by Ozzie Albies of the Atlanta Braves with 589,804 and Jeff McNeil of the New York Mets with 580,257.

“It means a lot to me that people are recognising what I’m doing out there, and that I’m having fun and enjoying the game,” Chisholm told the Miami Herald. “I just can’t stop saying how happy I am to be in the position that I’m in right now.”

Chisholm will need to finish among the top two at the position through the first phase of fan voting which concludes on June 30.

Ballots can be cast on MLB.com up to five times a day every 24 hours.

The first round of voting will determine two of the All-Star starters -- the top vote-getter in each league -- and which players will advance to the final round of the fan voting for the All-Star Game, which takes place on July 19 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California..

“I haven’t known a Hall of Famer who wasn’t an All-Star, so, in my head, that’s the first process,” Chisholm added. “You’ve got to be an All-Star before you become a Hall of Famer. It’s just checking off the boxes right now.”

With his performance last night in a 7-4 win over the Colorado Rockies, Chisholm took sole possession atop the leaderboard for all second basemen in the MLB with 14 home runs. He finished 2-3 with a two-run shot in the seventh inning, two runs scored and three RBI.

The Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve and the New York Yankees’ Gleyber Torres are tied for second with 13.

Chisholm also leads the group with a .518 slugging percentage, four triples and his 45 RBI trail only Trevor Story of the Boston Red Sox with 48. He ranks second behind Altuve with an .825 OPS.